Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-05-11

events. Fiery thoughts he had. until
another idea made its entrance into his
brain. cooling them of a little.
What right had you there at alp"
insinuated conscience, OF whatever re-
Elective faculty takes her place in
boys mind. Had he not started out to
find poor little Kitty. who was now,
perhaps through his fault, lying stir
and cold somewhere on the broad prai-
rieP Jim liked Kitty Nichols. 1 sup
pose any rough but kind-hearted boy
would have liked such pretty, blue
eyed mite. when she came running To
meet kim with unfailing delight. Her
folks were neighbors and she was
their only little girl. His heart re-
preached him for having left her to her
fate.
20, well, they've surely found her
by this time" he reasoned uneasilyi
then, heaping up the fire, fell asleep.
He awoke shivering with more than
cold. He thought that, finding Kitty
asleep, he had called her to rise and
come home, when lean, gray wolf
bounded upon her. He seized it by the
throat, but had not the strength to
strangle it, and dared not let 60.
Though near home he was unable to
speak aloud, either to call help or
wake the sleeping child, while the air
was hideous with the sharp cries of adj
vancing wolves. When he shook of
this nightmare, his comfort was not in
creased by hearing the yells of his
dream multiply around him, and seeing
well-known dark figures stink over the
hills. A light snow had sifted down
during the night, and the world showed
ghostly white in the cold, gray dawn.
With much difficulty Jimmy coaxed
the damp wood to blaze, and hung
over it in hungry remembrance of the
warm home breakfasts.
The sun had scarcely risen above the
low hills when watery-looking clouds
obscured the whole sky, and chill
wind whistled through the bushes. Jim
got the pony and started for home. On
fresh, cool mornings exercise OF any
kind is delightful, and he had not gone
far before his spirits were considerably
heightened.
Crossing gully his quick eye dis
cerned a mark on the other side. 1t
was child's footprint in the snow. He
followed it up and found chain Of
such prints. But all around, intersect-
ing it in places, were the tracks of the
prairie wolves.
Just then the ground shook as the
band of mounted herders swept past
Jake alone refined up beside him. His
face showed that he had been drink.
ing.
Don't you wish you hadn' lost your
chance Of catching Old Abep" he
sneered.
"Tve as good chance as you hav@
but I've something better to do" the
boy returned, tracing the tracks as he
spoke. Jake looked at him moment;
then, seeing how far the others were
ahead, spurred his broncho into join
ing them.
Left to himself Jim moved along.
watching the ground with intense in-
terest. Last night she was alive, then.
and he might still find her. The light
snow, however, rapidly disappearing, !
gave him no further aid.
Startled by the well-known rush Of
hoofs and clamor of voices he hurried
his pony to point whence he could
see the chase. Straight onward flies
the Infatuated steer, holly pursued by
the herdcrs. They have nearly run
him down. The mighty head is lower
ed, the fierce eyes Lhaggard, and the
muscles tense with exertion. It's easy
to see that he is near his end; easy to
know, also, that his lasa struggle will
be u desperate one.
Lifting his head, Old Abe glared |
around him; then lowering his horns, !
made a sudden sweep to the right at an
object not twenty yards away. Good
heavens! 1t was the light dress and
yellow hair of little Kitty Nichols. A
general shout rose. More than one re-
volver was drawn, but the shot was
withheld for fear of hitting the wrong
mark. Jake had the only chance, and
he was equal to the emergency. He
swung his rawhidc lasso, the loop few
out, settled over those cruel white
horns, and the watchers drew breath
of relief. The child, who, unable to
fly, had fallen into half kneeling po-
sition, rose little, as if in hope; when
suddenly Jake caught sight Of jim
Rowell. With demoniac yell he cut
and flung the rope from the saddle be-
fore it had been stretched.
There it is. Take it!' he shouted,
bursting into laughter.
1t was a pretty rough crowd, and not
one in it but wished at that moment
that Jake's moose was around his own
neck.
Jim's honest, hot blood, chilled an in
slant before, leaped with indignation,
and all his frontier learning came to
his assistance. He dashed after the
trailing rope, threw himself down and
caught it from the ground, rightipg
himself in the saddle before the strain |
came, and just as AL Thompson's Well
directed shot laid the brindIe savage at
the very feet of trembling Kitty. They
found her weak and chilled, but still |
safe and WELL
Jimmy was quite hero for few
days, his strained arms and torn hands
bearing witness to his adventure; but |
he had sense enough to accord Al
Thompson a fair share Of the praise.
His old enemy left that part Of the
country; probably he had his own rea-
sons, but people laid the credit Of his
absence to that days occurrences.
Wasn't my little girl afraid when
the wolves came around her at nights"
Kitty's happy mother asked her.
"No," the child answered. you
told me If prayed to God He wouldn't
let any thing hurt me, and you see He
didn't"-with satisfied turn of tho
flaxen head. But" She continued,